In the midst of the pandemic, our #SE26CharityChallenge fundraising initiative has united our community, with staff, pupils and families coming together remotely in a time of adversity to show what the Sydenham spirit is all about. Raising money for both NHS Charities Together and Sydenham School, the goal was simple: to be sponsored doing absolutely any activity involving 26, 260 or 2600 and we’ve gone above and beyond in our effort and dedication to this cause!
The imaginative and creative ways in which our school community engaged with the challenge has been nothing short of inspiring, from baking to running, yoga to squats; everyone has found something that they can do to support these great causes. One pupil in year 10, Ella McGovern, made an impressive 26 sketches, the making of which can be seen on YouTube, while another in year 9, Hope Skinner, completed 2600m on a rowing machine in 12.26 minutes. These are just a few examples of our students using their talents to help their local community.
The focus on helping others allowed our pupils to channel their energy in a positive way resulting in Sydenham High being in the top 1% of fundraisers on JustGiving for May, raising over £5,000 for NHS Charities Together, while our support with Sydenham School’s fundraising helped them to raise over £10,000 as well!
As a school we donated PPE, including over 500 face visors made onsite, to a local doctor’s surgery, a hospice and our local education authority and several staff and pupils sewed scrubs and face masks for local NHS facilities. Chromebooks and monitors were donated to local primary and secondary schools, plus significant donations to local food banks. In addition to this, a year 5 pupil, Elliot Amos, fundraised over £10,000 worth of chromebooks for local primaries to support disadvantaged families.
At a time where we couldn’t be further apart, we still found a way to come together and make the most of a bad situation. The #SE26CharityChallenge can be considered to be a resounding success, with a considerable amount of money being raised to help support the Sydenham community.
